The project covers the central urban area affected by the arrival of high-speed trains to Spain’s third largest city. With an investment value of €73 million, this is Valencia’s largest redevelopment to date. In all 66 hectares of land was freed by relocating railway lines into tunnels. More than half of the area will be planted, and a 23 hectare park will become the green heart of Valencia with gardens, open green spaces, play areas and cultural and educational activity areas. A residential quarter with parks and gardens covers another 43 hectares.
The design draws on Valencia’s location between ecological habitats: the Turia River, the agricultural plain, the Albufera natural park and the Mediterranean. This landscape underpins the city’s trading and cultural significance and is now reflected in the park design.
Inspired by the local ceramics, the ‘bowl’ provides a unifying gesture, with water its overarching theme. Water, landform, plants and existing buildings are the design elements used for the configuration of the individual bowls. Sculptured landform, plants and existing buildings create individual bowls, each with a programme and design: art, activities, people, landscapes, history and cultural memories. Valencia’s Mayor, Rita Barberà, claims the project is “the most attractive, important and certainly the
economically most significant project in Europe”.
Credits as supplied:
Architect: Borgos Pieper
Engineer: Grupotec
Project Manager: Nova Ingeniería
Water Strategy: Ove Arup & Partners
Lighting Designer: Claude R. Engle
Quantity Surveyor: Nova Ingeniería
Local landscape architect: Juan José Galán
